Toy vehicle with adjustable lap counter activator removably mounted thereon

ABSTRACT

A lap counter assembly for use in a toy racing set wherein several toy vehicles race along the same wide track and can pass one another, for indicating the number of laps traversed by each of the several vehicles. The counter assembly includes a track region which narrows from a multi-lane width to a single lane width, and several counters which have trip members which can be struck by vehicles to advance the counts, wherein the trip members are located at different lateral positions across the width of the single lane track region. An attachment is provided for each vehicle, which includes an upwardly projecting member for moving one of the trip members to register a count as the vehicle passes by it, the projections on the different vehicles located at different lateral positions thereon so that each projection engages a different trip member.

Dec. 11, 1973 TOY VEHICLE WITH ADJUSTABLE LAP COUNTER ACTIVATORREMOVABLY MOUNTED THEREON Neubauer et a].

Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Attorney-Seymour A. Scholnick [75Inventors: William A. Staats, Torrance; Denis V. Bosley, Palos VerdesPeninsula; John S. Cook, Sunnyvale; Toshio Yamasaki, Gardena, all ofCalif.

[57] ABSTRACT A lap counter assembly for use in a toy racing set [73]Assignee: Mattel Hawthorne Califwherein several toy vehicles race alongthe same wide July 31, 1972 [22 Fil track and can pass one another, forindicating the number of laps traversed by each of the several vehi-[21] cles. The counter assembly includes a track region Appl. No.:276,482

which narrows from a multi-lane width to a single lane Related US.Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 96,808, Dec. 10, 1970, Pat.No.

width, and several counters which have trip members 3,712,615. which canbe struck by vehicles to advance the counts, wherein the trip membersare located at differ- [52] US. Cl. 46/202 em lateral positions acrossthe width of the Single lane 51 int. A63h 17/00 track regionattachmentis Provided for each vehi- [58] Field ofSearch 273/86 R, 86 B; whichincludes upwardly Projecting member 46/202; 104/60; 116/120, 133, 134;198/38; for moving one of the trip members to register a count 235/98 Bas the vehicle passes by it, the projections on the different vehicleslocated at different lateral positions thereon so that each projectionengages a different trip member.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1966 May 273/86 R X 3Claims,18 Drawing Figures PMENTEDBEB 1 1 I975 SHEET 30F 5 PATENTED DEC 11 I975 3.777.394 SHEET k UF 5 TOY VEHICLE WITH ADJUSTABLE LAP COUNTERACTIVATOR REMOVABLY MOUNTED THEREON This is a division of applicationSer. No. 96,808 filed Dec. 10, 1970, and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,615.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to apparatus for use with toy vehicles to sense their passage.

2. Description of the Prior Art Toy vehicle races are often run alongsmall track layouts, so that a long race is conducted by extending itover many laps of the layout. Where each vehicle runs along a differenttrack, the number of laps traversed can be counted by a lap counter thathas a trip member at that track. However, in races where severalvehicles run along the same wide track and may pass one another,difficulties are experienced in counting the passes of each vehicleindependently of the others.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodimentof the present invention, a lap counting apparatus is provided which canbe used in a track layout wherein several vehicles race along the samewide track, to indicate the laps traversed by each of the vehicles. Theapparatus includes a track section which narrows from a wide regionwhich can carry at least two vehicles side-by-side to a narrow regionwhich is only slightly wider than a vehicle, to fix the position atwhich vehicles pass. Several lap counters are provided which have tripmembers, each of which can be hit by a vehicle to register a counter inone of the lap counters. The trip members are laterally spaced from eachother and are located above the narrow track region. The vehicles areprovided with projections that can engage a trip member at a particularposition to register a count, the projecting member on each vehiclelocated at a different position than the projecting members on the othervehicles.

In order to prevent jamming-of vehicles if two of them reach thenarrowing, or funneling track region at the same time, the funnelingtrack region has one side rail which can resiliently deflect away from.the other. A stop is provided in front of the resiliently mounted siderail to stop a vehicle which has pushed aside the resilient rail, so theother one can pass ahead of it. After the other vehicle has passed, theresilient rail pushes the stopped vehicle away from the stop so it cancontinue through the funneling region to the single lane track region.

The projection for each vehicle is a wire that has a lower end pivotallymounted on the vehicle, a center portion held between a pair of posts tofix the position of the projection, and an upper portion extending abovethe vehicle for hitting one of the trip members of a counter. A childcan move the projection so it lies BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lap counting apparatus constructed inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the apparatus when severalcars approach it at about the same time;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the counter apparatus taken on line 33 of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view'showing a pair of lap counters of the counterassembly of FIG. 1, this figure being taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional top view of one of the counters of FIG. 4, takenon the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of one of the activating attachments of thevehicle shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a partial side elevation view of the activating attachment ofFIG. 7 on a vehicle;

FIG. 8A is a sectional front view of a projection guiding device whichcan be used with the counter apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a partial plan view of a counter apparatus constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention, for indicating thecompletion of a race;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a lap counting apparatus constructed inaccordance with still another embodiment of the invention; a

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line 12-12 of FIG. 11

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line l3-l3 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 11;

FIG. 15 is a side elevation view of one lap counting mechanism of thetype shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a view taken on the line 16-16 of FIG. 15; and

FIG. 17 is a view of the mechanism of FIG. 16 shown during the countingof a lap.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates lap countingapparatus 10 which counts the number of passes made by each of four toyvehicles which run in a race along a wide track 12, the track 12 beingconstructed to allow vehicles to assume a wide range of lane positionsso that they can pass one another. The lap counting apparatus 10includes four lap counters 14, 16, I8 and 20 which are held in a frame22 and which display counts through each of four windows labeled 1through 4. Each of the counters has a main or number wheel 24 which canbe turned until a 0 count is displayed through the corresponding window.To begin a race, the toy vehicles can be started simultaneously on thetrack layout. Either selfpropelled toy vehicles of the type which have aselfcontained battery and motor can be used, or unpowered vehicles canbe used together with an accelerating device placed in series with thelayout. Once the vehicles have started along the layout, they areallowed to run around it many times, each vehicle advancing the count inone of the four counterseach time it passes the lap counting apparatus.The first vehicle whose lap counter reaches a predetermined count suchas twenty, indicating that that vehicle has traversed twenty laps aroundthe layout, is considered to be the winner of the race.

In order to allow the four counters to discriminate so that each countsonly the passes made by one of the four vehicles, the apparatus isprovided with a single vehicle guide means in the form of a funnelingtrack region 26 which has side rails 28 and 30 that direct all vehiclesmoving in the direction of arrow 32 to a single predetermined laneposition at track region 32. As shown in FIG. 3, each of the fourcounters 14, 16, 18 and 20 have a trip member 34, 36, 38 and 40laterally spaced from one another above the narrow track region 32. Asshown in FIG. 2, each vehicle 42, 44, 46 and 48 has a projection 50extending upwardly therefrom which can engage one of the trip members toregister a count in one of the four counters. The projection 50 on eachvehicle extends at a different lateral position with respect to thevehicle than the projections on the other vehicles, so that eachprojection engages only a preselected one of the four trip levers. Thus,as each vehicle passes through the lap counting apparatus only thecorresponding counter registers a lap count.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate the type of lap counters which can beutilized in the counting apparatus. These counters are of the type morefully described in the patent application entitled COMPACT TOY LAPCOUNTER by Edwards et al, Ser. No. 3,356, filed Jan. 16, 1970, andassigned to the same assignee as the present application. The four lapcounters 13, 16, 18 and are substantially identical, with the counterson opposite sides of the track being substantially mirror images on eachother, so a description of one mechanism 14 will largely apply to theothers. The number wheel 24, which is best shown in FIG. 5, carries thenumbers 0 through 20 on it which are displayed through the window 52.Prior to a race, the wheel may be turned in the direction of arrow 54until the number 0 is displayed through the window. Rotation of thewheel 24 winds a spring 56 which will later advance the wheel in adirection opposite to arrow 54 each time the trip member 34 is pivotedby a passing vehicle. The trip member 34 operates an escapement 58 thatallows the spring to advance the number wheel by 1/2lst turn every timethe lever is pivoted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the number wheel 24 is fixed to a shaft 60 whoseupper and lower ends are pivotally mounted on the frame 22 of theapparatus. The wheel has 21 ratchet members 62 spaced along a regionnears its circumference, which interact with pawl members on a lever 64to advance the wheel in steps. The lever 64 is pivotally mounted ontrunions 66, 68 engaged with the frame 22, and the trip member 34 isfixed to the lever 64. Each time a vehicle moves the trip member 34forward and releases it, the lever 64 pivots and allows pawl members toadvance the wheel 24 by one count. The spring 56 which drives the wheelhas one end 70 fixed to the wheel and another end 72 biased against thelever 64 to urge the lever to remain in a position wherein the tripmember 34 thereon extends straight down.

FIG. 6 illustrates the two pawl members 74, 76 which release the wheel24 in steps. The lever 64 is normally held in a position wherein thepawl member 76 is upward and engaged with one of the ratchets 62, whilethe other pawl member 74 is normally downward and disengaged fromratchets on the number wheel. When the trip member 34 is moved in thedirection of arrow 78 by a passing vehicle, pawl 76 moves downard torelease the number wheel to advance towards a new count, while pawl 74moves upward to prevent the wheel from rotating more than about one-halfof the distance required to record a count. As soon as the vehicle haspassed by and released the trip member 34, the lever pivots back to itsoriginal position and the wheel 24 r0- tates another half of thedistance required to register the new count.

FIGS 7 and 8 illustrate an activating attachment which can be attachedto a vehicle 42 to enable it to register a count on one of the four lapcounters. The attachement 90 includes a plate 92 with brackets 94 at theforward end that engage side walls of the vehicle 42 to hold theattachment in place. The plate 92 has a center pin 96 and four sets ofposts 98, 100, 102 and 104. The projection, or activating member 50which is provided is in the form of a stiff wire with an inner end 108encircling the pin 96 in a manner to allow it to pivot about the pin. Acenter portion 110 of the activating member is held between one of thepairs of posts such as pair 98, to fix the position of the activatingmember 50 about the pin. An upper end portion 112 of the activatingmember extends to a height above the height of the vehicle. It is thisend 112 which brushes by one of the trip members of a counter toregister a count. When the activating member 50 is between the posts 98,it engages the trip member 34 of lap counter 14. A child can bend up theactivating member 50 so it lies above posts 98 and place it betweenanother one of the four pairs of posts so that the vehicle passes areregistered on a different one of the four counters. Generally, when fourvehicles are to be raced, the activating member of each vehicle isassigned to a different position to activate a different one of the fourlap counters. The position of the upper end portion 112 can be moredefinitely fixed, if there is a possibility of it hitting the wrong tripmember, by a guide assembly 111 of the type shown in FIG. 8A.

If each of the toy vehicles were to reach the funnel track section 26 ata different time, then each could smoothly enter the single lane tracksection 32 where counts are registered. However, it sometimes occursthat two vehicles reach the funnel region 26 in a sideby-siderelationship. This could lead to the two vehicles jamming the funnelregion and stopping the race. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, such a jam-upis prevented by providing one of the side rails 30 along the funnelregion with a rail portion or strip mounted for resilient deflectionaway from the other side rail 28. The rail portion 120 is constructed ofa strip of resilient material with one end 122 fixed to the track andthe rest of it free to bend with respect to the track. Another strip 124located outside of the usual position of the resilient strip 120 limitsthe amount of outward movement of the strip 120. A stop 126 ispositioned downpath from the resilient strip 120 and to one side of it,so that a vehicle can hit the stop 126 only if it has deflected thestrip 120 a substantial distance.

FIG. 2 illustrates the situation where two vehicles 44 and 46 startmoving down the funneling region side-byside. One of the vehicles 46will deflect the resilient strip 120, which provides an additional trackwidth so that one vehicle 44 can pass the other. In addition, thevehicle 46 which presses against the strip 120 may be shoved sidewardlyfar enough to hit the stop 126 and be prevented from traveling anyfurther towards the counting apparatus until the other vehicle 44 haspassed by it. When the vehicle 44 has passed the other vehicle 46, thestrip 120 deflects the vehicle 46 back towards the center of the trackso that it is no longer stopped by the stop 126. To further preventjam-ups, a layer 128 of material with a high coefficient of frictionagainst the vehicle is disposed against the inner face of the strip 120.The material at 128 which may be felt or the like, tends to retardforward movement of the vehicle which presses against it, to allow theother vehicle to pass. In many cases, the layer 128 slows the vehiclewhich it contacts sufficiently to sweep it back into the center of thetrack without striking the stop In some cases, it is desirable toprovide an easily observable indicator that shows when one of the fourcounters has reached a predetermined count, such as twenty, indicatingthat the race is over. FIGS. 9 and illustrate a lap counter assemblyconstructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention,which includes four flags 140, 142, 144 and 146 which can he suddenlyraised to indicate the end of a race. Each flag is mounted at the end ofa spring wire 148 that tends to raise it to an upright position.However, each flag is normally held below one of the number wheels 150.When a number wheel has reached a position wherein a predeterminednumber such as shows through the viewing window, a recess 152 of thatwheel is in a position above one of the flags. The, flag is thenreleased to pop up. The sudden raising of a checkered flag to indicatethe winner of a race provides a display similar to'the waving of acheckered flag at the end of many actual races, to enhance theentertainment provided by the race. 7

FIGS. 11 through 17 illustrate a lap'counter constructed in accordancewith another embodiment of the invention, which utilizes four tapes 160,162, 164 and 166 each having the numbers 0 through 99 printed thereon.Each tape'extends from a supply wheel 168 to a take-up wheel 170, in apath that brings it beneath a window 172. Thenumber showingthrough-eachwindow 172 indicates'the number of laps traversed by oneofthe vehicles. Each take-up wheel 170 is urged to turn by a spring 174,to wind the tape on itself. A stop 176 prevents advancement of the tapeexcept when a vehicle hits a trip member 178, and the mechanism thanallows the tape to advance only far enough to display the next numberthrough the window 172.

As shown in FIG. 14, each tape, such as tape 160, has elongated slots orperforations 180 spaced therealong, to facilitate its engagement withthe stop 176. The trip member 178 is pivotally mounted on the lapcounter frame 184 by trunions 186 formed at one end of the trip member.When a vehicle hits the trip member 178, the trip member pivots so thatan operating portion 188 thereon passes upwardly through a slot 190 inthe vframe. The operating portion 188 lifts the tape 160 over the stop176 so that the tape is then free to 'advance in the direction of arrow192 towards the take-up wheel. 1

As the tape advances, the next slot 180 moves under a holding member194. The fact that the tape is held in a raised position by the tripmember means that the slot 180 is received in the holding member 194.The holding member 194 then prevents any further advancement of thetape.

After the vehicle has passed by the trip member 178, the trip memberfalls back to its original position, and it allows the tape 160 to alsofall down towards its original position. The slot 180 that disengagesfrom the holding member 194 and can move towards the stop 176. As soonas the slot 180 reaches the stop 176, it falls over the stop 176 and isthereafter prevented from further advancement. The perforations 180 arespaced However, a fourth window 1720 has a checkered portion showingtherethrough. The checkered portion is printed on the tape at a positionafter the number 99. A checkered portion is utilized instead of thenumber to more closely simulate the showing of a checkered flag, whichis traditionally used at the end of a race. If desired, a disablingmechanism can be employed to prevent further counting by any of the fourcounting mechanisms once one of them has counted to the checkered flagposition. This can be accomplished by a variety of means, such as anadditional slot at one edge of the tape that tn'ps a disabling mechanismthat prevents further advancement of any of the tapes.

Thus, the invention provides apparatus for indicating the laps traversedby .each of several vehicles which travel along the same wide track. Theapparatus utilizes several simple counters with trip members foroperating the counters, the trip members being laterally spaced along anarrow or single lane track region. A funnel track region is providedfor directing all vehicles from a wide track area to the single laneregion. The vehicles are provided with projections which extend atdifferent lateral positions with respect to the vehicle, so that theprojections activate the differenttrip members to register a count indifferent lap counters. The funneling apparatus is constructed withconverging side rails wherein one of the rails has a portion that candeflect outwardly away from the other rail to prevent jam-ups. Theactivating apparatus on the vehicles, which contact the trip members ofthe lap counters, are constructed to enable manual adjustment of thelateral position, so that a child can choose which of the lap counterswill be activated by a vehicle. The lap counter can utilize wheels withnumbers on them or tapes that carry numbers.-

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variationsmay readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it isintended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications andequivalents.

, What is claimed is: I

1. Apparatus for use with toy vehicles to count their passes by anassembly of lap counters which are responsive to activations atdifferent positions comprismg:

activating means removably mounted on a toy vehicle, said activatingmeans including a mounting plate, a plurality of positioning meanslocated at one end of said mounting plate, and an activating adapted tobe retained within any one of said positioning means, and a second endpositioned at a right angle to said first end so as to engage one ofsaid lap counters.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein said second end of saidactivating member projects up and above said mounting plate so as toengage one of said lap counters.

1. Apparatus for use with toy vehicles to count their passes by anassembly of lap counters which are responsive to activations atdifferent positions comprising: activating means removably mounted on atoy vehicle, said activating means including a mounting plate, aplurality of positioning means located at one end of said mountingplate, and an activating member pivotally mounted at the opposite end ofsaid mounting plate and adapted to be retained within one of saidpositioning means so as to register a count in only a preselected one ofsaid lap counters each time the vehicle passes by said assembly of lapcounters.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said activatingmember is comprised of a first end pivotally mounted on said mountingplate, a middle portion adapted to be retained within any one of saidpositioning means, and a second end positioned at a right angle to saidfirst end so as to engage one of said lap counters.
 3. The apparatus asrecited in claim 2 wherein said second end of said activating memberprojects up and above said mounting plate so as to engage one of saidlap counters.